Behind the Ticker

In this episode, Brad sits down with Eric Lutton , CIO of Sound Income Strategies , to discuss the firm’s actively managed ETF: FXED , and its unique approach to fixed income investing. Eric shares his professional journey from trading in the pits of Chicago to managing institutional assets and ultimately building out Sound Income’s fixed income platform. The firm has grown from managing $30M with...

In this episode of Behind the Ticker , Brad Roth interviews Ryan Thomes, Co-Portfolio Manager at Hotchkis & Wiley, to discuss the launch and strategy behind the firm’s newest ETF—HWSM, the Hotchkis & Wiley SMID Cap Diversified Value ETF. Ryan shares his career journey from investment consulting to portfolio management, explaining how his early due diligence work led him to join the very fi...

In this episode of Behind the Ticker , host Brad Roth speaks with Kirk McDonald, Portfolio Manager at Argent Capital Management, about his unique path from Air Force pilot to managing the Argent MidCap ETF (ticker: AMID). McDonald shares how his firm’s mission to deliver both strong investment performance and top-tier client service inspired their move into the ETF space. With a deep-rooted philos...

In this episode of Behind the Ticker , Brad Roth sits down with Rob Thummel, Senior Portfolio Manager at Tortoise Capital Advisors, to dive into the firm’s active ETF, the Tortoise Essential Energy Fund (Ticker: TPZ). Rob shares his decades-long journey in the energy sector—from working in gas stations and oilfields as a teenager to helping lead one of the most focused energy investment firms in t...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Bob Elliott, co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Unlimited, discussed the firm’s mission to democratize hedge fund strategies through innovative ETF structures. Drawing on his experience managing strategies at Bridgewater Associates and running a $125 million venture capital fund, Elliott launched Unlimited to address what he sees as fundamental in...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Brad Neuman, Director of Market Strategy and Portfolio Manager at Alger, joined the show to discuss the firm’s rich history in growth investing and the launch of their latest ETF: Alger Russell Innovation ETF (ticker: INVN). Neuman, who has a 25-year investment background spanning bottom-up and top-down roles on both the buy and sell sides, explained how...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Wayne Penello, founder of NextGen EMP, shared the fascinating journey that led him to launch the NextGen Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF (ticker: EMPB). With over 40 years of experience as a commodity trader—including a decade on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange and years advising global trading firms—Penello developed a deep understandin...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Rob Harvey, Vice President at Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), shared his personal journey into asset management and gave an in-depth look at DFA’s unique approach to building portfolios, particularly their work in the ETF space. Harvey described how he first encountered Dimensional while managing external asset managers at Cisco Systems, where their emph...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Clark Allen, Head of ETFs at Horizon Investments, shared his journey from public accounting and family office investing to leading Horizon’s entrance into the ETF space. With a deep background in institutional asset management and quantitative research, Allen joined Horizon to help bridge the gap between sophisticated investment strategies and emotionally...

In a recent special edition of Behind the Ticker recorded live at the Exchange ETF Conference, Paisley Nardini, Vice President and Client Portfolio Strategist at Simplify Asset Management, joined the show to discuss her path from bond trading to ETF strategy—and dive into Simplify’s Managed Futures Strategy ETF, ticker CTA. With a career that began on a bond trading desk and later evolved through...

In a recent special edition of Behind the Ticker recorded live at the Exchange ETF Conference, Matt Kaufman, Head of ETFs at Calamos Investments, joined the show to talk about Calamos’ expanding lineup of structured outcome ETFs—including their latest innovation: a suite of protected Bitcoin ETFs. With a legacy in risk-managed strategies, especially convertible bonds, Calamos has built a reputatio...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Jeff Cullen, Managing Director at Schafer Cullen Capital Management, sat down to discuss the firm’s first ETF, the Cullen Enhanced Equity Income ETF (ticker: DIVP). With over 30 years in the asset management industry and experience across mutual funds, SMAs, and ETFs, Cullen provided a deep dive into how the firm’s long-standing dividend-focused value str...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Dan Petersen, Head of Product Management at New York Life Investments, discussed the firm’s international equity strategy and the mechanics behind the NYLI FTSE International Equity Currency Neutral ETF (ticker: HFXI). With over two decades in the industry, Petersen has held various roles in financial advisory and ETF distribution, playing a key role in t...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Kirsten Chang, Director of Editorial and Content at VettaFi, shared insights into her journey from CNBC to her current role, as well as details about the upcoming Exchange ETF Conference, the largest ETF industry event of the year. With over a decade of experience at CNBC—working on Squawk Box , covering markets from the floor of the NYSE with Bob Pisani,...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Adam Patti, founder and CEO of VistaShares, discussed the launch of the VistaShares Artificial Intelligence Supercycle ETF (ticker: AIS) and how it differentiates itself in the growing AI investment space. With over two decades in the ETF industry, Patti previously founded IndexIQ, one of the earliest issuers of liquid alternative ETFs, which was later ac...

n a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Emma Harper, a research analyst at Sage Advisory, shared insights from the firm’s 2024 ETF Stewardship Report, which evaluates how ETF providers engage with companies, vote on shareholder proposals, and integrate sustainability and governance practices. With a background in finance and research, Harper plays a key role in Sage's analysis of responsibl...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , Rob Arnott, founder and chairman of Research Affiliates, shared insights into the firm's latest innovation, the Research Affiliates Deletions ETF (ticker: NIXT). With nearly 50 years in investment management, Arnott has built a reputation for pioneering quantitative investing strategies, particularly through the development of the Fundamental Index m...

n a recent episode of Behind the Ticker , John Davi, founder and CIO of Astoria Advisors, discussed the firm's latest ETF launch, the Astoria US Quality Kings ETF (ticker: GQQQ). With over two decades of experience in quantitative investing and asset allocation, Davi founded Astoria in 2017, building a firm focused on macro-driven and quantitative investment strategies. Managing approximately...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker, Mike Loukas, CEO of TrueShares, shared insights into the firm’s journey and the unique approach behind their ETFs, including their latest launches, QBUL and QBER. Loukas, with over 30 years of experience in the financial industry, founded TrueMark Investments in 2019 with the purpose of establishing TrueShares as a solutions-based ETF platform. TrueShares...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker, Catherine LeGraw, asset allocation strategist at GMO, shared insights into the firm’s approach to value investing and their newly launched ETFs, including GMOV, their U.S. value ETF. LeGraw, who joined GMO in 2013 after working at BlackRock and Barclays Global Investors, brings a top-down perspective to asset allocation, seeking valuation-driven opportunit...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker, Kevin Carter, founder of EMQQ Global, shared his journey into investment management and the inspiration behind his suite of emerging market internet ETFs, including INQQ, which focuses on India’s rapidly growing internet sector. With a background that began at Robertson Stephens in 1992 and included pioneering direct indexing and active indexing, Carter’s...

In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker, David Dziekanski, founder and CEO of Quantify Funds, introduced his firm’s first ETF, the STKD Bitcoin and Gold ETF (ticker: BTGD). With 17 years of experience in the investment and ETF industry, including 11 years as a partner at Tidal Financial Group, Dziekanski launched Quantify Funds to bring innovative, efficient investment solutions to market. BTGD r...

In a special edition of Behind the Ticker recorded at the UT CATT 2024 Global Analytics Conference, host Brad Roth moderated a panel discussion exploring the future of AI in finance. The panel brought together leading voices in the field: Kyle Wiggs, co-founder and CEO of UX Wealth Partners; Sudhir Holla, founder and CEO of MyStock DNA; and Tal Schwartz, founder of AI Funds. Together, they examine...

In a recent episode of “Behind the Ticker,” Al Chu, portfolio manager at Man GLG, discussed his role managing the American Beacon GLG Natural Resources ETF (ticker: MGNR). Chu, who has over two decades of experience in natural resources investing, described his journey from managing natural resources strategies at BNY Mellon and various hedge funds to leading this strategy at Man GLG. With the bac...

In a recent episode of “Behind the Ticker,” Raymond Holst from Practus LLP discussed the intricacies of 351 exchanges and their relevance to the ETF industry. Holst, a tax attorney with over 20 years of experience, joined Practus in 2023, bringing extensive expertise in financial products and taxation. Practus, a fully virtual law firm with attorneys across the United States, specializes in ETF an...